This was one of my favorite field trips. Being that I grew up on a vegetable farm I was aware of the necessary steps to have a successful vegetable farm. However, I found the apple grading and packing line very interesting. It is similar to a watermelon line but has some unique factors that allows apple growers can take advantage of.
Field Trip Hoober
My family has been doing business with Hoober for almost twenty years. Therefore, going to a Hoober location was not a new experience for me. However, being able to see the progress that agriculture is making due to technology is truly astonishing. Seeing the drone technology tied in with other technology allowing a single machine to have records of every square inch of a growers field. The men and women at Hoober truly are some of the best in the business and their customer service is second to none.
Field Trip Newark Farm
Being able to see all of the different aspects of the Newark Farm makes me truly admire every research farm supervisor. This job requires the most diverse background in agriculture that can be possible. My favorite part of the field trip was seeing the feed study that was taking place with the dairy cows. It is truly amazing to see the types of studies that are going on right here in Newark, Delaware. Going on this field trip helped me truly realize the dedication that institutions around the world are doing to grow and understand agriculture.
Guest Lecture Dan Severson
Growing up I have always showed animals at the Delaware State Fair, the most interesting thing I learned during this lecture had to be the fact that when judges at the fair are judging animals, in some species, the judge high lights certain characteristics of an animal and those traits are not desirable when trying to produce these animals on a large scale. Mr. Severson proceeded to highlight the main production animals in the state of Delaware and what traits growers desire while raising these animals.
Guest Lecture Delaware’s Green Industry
During this lecture I was able to learn about an industry that I thought was extremely small, I was proved wrong. The Green Industry is a major industry in the state of Delaware. Mrs. Wooten and Mrs. Gudischak elaborated on how diverse the industry has become and the endless job opportunities that lie within the industry. I was extremely interested in this because at my family business I am constantly thinking about other possibilities and nitch markets that we can get into and this showed a lot of promise given the similarity of our business to the Green Industry.
Guest Lecture Dave Mayonado
Dave Mayonado is a technology development representative for the Monsanto Company. Mr. Mayonado elaborated on the different opportunities he is presented while at his job. Mr. Mayonado explained to the class about a few of products that the Monsanto Company offers and a brief overview of their purpose. He mentioned that his job however as much as he enjoys it, he said his greatest fear is that he goes to work not completely sure if or what he will be doing or if he will have a job. As these type of thoughts would generally scare most people Mr. Mayonado explained that he enjoys the opportunity to explore all aspects of the agriculture industry. Mr. Mayonado stressed the importance of due diligence when talking about new technology in the agriculture sector.
Guest Lecture Secretary Ed Kee
This by far was my favorite class of the entire semester, in any class. Secretary Ed Kee is truly one of the greatest men the state of Delaware has ever seen. He has taken the states agriculture department to new levels. He spoke to us about some of the key things the state of Delaware does on a national level and is truly recognized for. My favorite statistic and perhaps Delaware’s greatest statistic is that we as a state rank first in the United States in value of agricultural production per acre. Delaware is an agriculture powerhouse, and Secretary Ed Kee has lead us to a place of well deserving recognition.
Mark Lynas and GMOs
Mark Lynas makes a good argument for the benefits of GMO’s and I thoroughly agree with him. The backlash directed towards GMOs is lead by the elite few who have the privilege of being able to choose between “Natural” and genetically modified. Unfortunately, the general public still has a lack of knowledge regarding GMOs and their benefits. Most people are scared of GMOs, and have the right to be, because they are uneducated on their benefits and how genetically modified actually works. In the year 2050 there will be over 9 billion people to feed on less ground, new and innovative ways of growing crops to feed the hungry will have to implemented and GMOs will lead the way, so long as the rest of the world accepts them.
Lynas could have explained his reason for switching his opinion a little better though. He was very focused on explaining the benefits of higher yields and what other countries think of GMOs, which is a good argument, however he should have described how genetic modification works more thoroughly. He also should have explained his reasoning for beginning his research rather than his explanation being that someone commented saying that he should.
Organic Chickens
The first field trip for Understanding Delaware Agriculture this Fall semester was to Georgie Cartanza’s organic chicken farm. Ms. Cartanza owns and operates four organic chicken houses raising 156,000 birds for Perdue Foods. Upon arriving at the farm, we put on Tyvek suits and plastic boot covers to maintain bio-security in the houses. As we entered the houses, we also had to step in chlorine powder to ensure there were no contaminants entering the houses. These bio-security measures were taken to prevent the chickens from being harmed by any outside pathogens. Each of Ms. Cartanza’s houses were up to date with automated feeders and waterers and tunnel ventilation, all controlled by control boxes located in each house. All 4 houses have alarm systems in them that directly alert Georgie when there is a malfunction with the climate control of the houses, or if there is any other immediate dangers. The temperature and climate inside the houses is regulated using tunnel ventilation and cooling pads. Tunnel ventilation is the process of pulling air through the house from one end to the other usinf large fans. Cooling pads are large corrugated pads that hang at one end of the house and circulate water through them. Using the tunnel ventilation, the air that is pulled through the pads is able to cool the entire chicken house by 20 degrees.
Being an organic grower means that Ms. Cartanza has to provide certain amenities to the chickens that are not required for conventional production. The houses must have windows and natural light as well as doors and access to the outside if the chickens choose to go out. Bully boxes are added to give chickens an escape if they are being attacked by other chickens and ramps for enrichment. These amenities plus the organic feed which comes from Argentina and Turkey are the main differences between organic and conventional chickens.
Fifer’s Orchard
The second trip of the fall semester for PLSC167 was to Fifer’s Orchard in Camden Wyoming Delaware. Fifer’s Orchard is a family run farm that grows a variety of crops with their biggest money-makers being sweet corn and pumpkins. During the trip Bobby Fifer explained to us the entire process the operation goes through from growing, to harvest, to packing, and finally their different forms of retail. Planting, harvesting, and packing are the most labor intensive practices for Fifers. At peak, Fifers hires over 100 H-2A workers to man the tasks. H-2A is a program that allows employers to bring in foreign workers to America for seasonal work. The farm also has its own packing line for apples and other products it grows. Fifers market their products by supplying Walmart and giant with produce while also maintaining their own retail store. They also manage an 18 week Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) program called the Delaware Box. Patrons of the Delaware Box pay for a share of the harvest at the beginning of the year return for a box full of what crops are being harvested every other week. The boxes are filled at the farm and shipped to one of 8 pick up points determined by Fifers.
Hoober INC.
The third field trip of the fall semester for Understanding Delaware Agriculture was to Hoober Inc. in Middletown Delaware. Hoobers is a Case IH Agricultural Equipment Dealer that is invested in new technology. On the tour, we were taken through the shop and saw the complexity of tractors and how difficult they are to work on. We then toured the equipment yard and saw the comparison between 1980’s combine and tractor technology and brand new technology. We were then demonstrated on and allowed to drive a tractor equipped with GPS and auto-steer. The technician explained how to map a path for the tractor and then match it to the GPS and let the system take over. Along with the GPS guided tractor, a drone with GPS was also demonstrated. The drone is being marketed to farmers for scouting fields using high powered cameras. Drones can also be used to observe irrigation patterns and where crops are being starved of nutrients. There has been testing on using drones to scout for animals in heat that are kept in large herds. These drones are also being marketed to construction companies to map out sites, and take videos of resorts for the tourism industry.
James Adkins – Agricultural Irrigation
James Adkins, from the UD Carvel Research center gave a lecture on the different types of irrigation used in Delaware, and some of the new technological advances associated with irrigation. The three main types of irrigation are center pivot, sub-surface drip, and traveling gun. A center pivot system is a long pipe line above the crop that pivots in a circle around a pump and pushes water through a series of nozzles, applying water in the most efficient way. Sub-surface drip irrigation is a system that is implemented below vegetable fields and pushes water through pipes in the ground that have pinholes in them and allow the water to percolate into the soil. A traveling gun system is a high pressure nozzle on the end of a pipe that is pulled by a tractor and arcs water onto a field. Center pivot irrigation is the most popular and most efficient, second is sub-surface drip, an third is traveling gun.
New technology in irrigation is zone control on center pivot systems. This allows the system to apply water heavier or lighter in areas where it is needed, cutting down on water use and maximizing application and efficiency. Nozzles are also being developed for more even application of water. Drones are also being used to observe where plants are being over or under watered using NVDI, or Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, a graphical indicator of how the field is performing.
Dan Severson – Livestock
Dan Severson, the New Castle County livestock extension agent, gave a lecture on livestock in Delaware. He noted that the number of farms and herds is decreasing however production is holding steady. Beef is the largest meat consumed per capita followed by pork and chicken. Severson also noted that sheep and goat production is on the rise for meat and dairy production. Goat and sheep milk can be used to drink, make cheese, and other items such as soaps and lotions. While goat dairy is on the rise, traditional dairy is not. Delaware currently has 36 dairy farms milking 4800 cows totaling $19 million. Most of the dairy farms are operated by the Amish population. He also mentioned the fact that some farmers are growing emu, bison and apiaries.
Mark Davis – Harness Racing Industry
Mark Davis gave the class a lecture on the Harness Racing Industry in Delaware and how it affects the economy of the state. It was interesting to hear about how slot machines have revitalized the industry and how the purses are divided up among the owners, trainers, drivers and veterinarians. I have grown up around race horses, my farm bordering a horse farm in Maryland that has had several winners, the most famous being Cigar. Harness racing however, was new to me. I am used to thoroughbred and steeplechase horses. It was refreshing to hear that there is another aspect of horse racing that people still enjoy.
Final Field Trip – UD’s Newark Farm
The final field trip for Plant Science 167 was to the University of Delaware’s research farm in Newark where we met with Farm Superintendent Scott Hopkins who gave us a tour of all the different factions of the research farm. First, we boarded the bus at Townsend hall and got an introduction on Scott and what it means to be a farm superintendent. We then drove past Fisher Greenhouse and Allen lab which is a bio-security level 3 and is where researchers perform experiments on poultry diseases and other viruses. After the lab was the wetlands that weave through the entire farm and provide a study area for students in the wildlife ecology and resource management programs. Mr. Hopkins explained that maintaining the wetlands is a constant battle because the stream drains all the runoff from Newark and brings invasive species of weeds into the marsh. After the wetlands is the apiary containing anywhere from 800,000 to 1.2 million bees that raise honey to be sold in the creamery and help study colony collapse and pollination. There’s also a study on rice patties located near the apiary and the chicken houses. At the beef, sheep, and equine farm we were educated on the buildings used to study the horses, how compost is managed on the farm, how the sheep are used to educate students, and forages used to feed the animals. We then got back on the bus and went to the dairy farm where Scott showed us the milking parlor, forage study barn, and explained the different genetics of dairy cows and answered any questions we had.